In 2016, 10 days before Halloween, I went to see an ophthalmologist for persistent, debilitating eye pain. I was going to be Charlie Brown for Halloween that year and after my appointment my dad and I were going to go pick up the last few items for my costume. At that appointment we discovered that I had slowly lost all of my peripheral vision and the doctor told my dad and I that he believed I had a brain tumor. I forgot about my plans. My entire life changed at 13. I had a craniopharyngioma and the effects of that diagnosis would change my life forever. While after surgery my remaining vision was intact, other problems emerged. It was determined that my pituitary gland was nonfunctional. My hypothalamus was also damaged which resulted in arginine vasopressin insufficiency and acquired hypothalamic obesity (AHO). While some symptoms either improved or I adapted to them, the hypothalamic injury that resulted in AHO is something that I continue to struggle with. AHO causes intense feelings of hunger, low metabolic rate, and continuous fatigue. These symptoms are distracting at best and can be debilitating at worst. Only one treatment is available for AHO. It was approved on March 26th, 2026 and it costs $30,000 a month. Alternative medications like GLP-1 agonists have been found to help with some symptoms, but they are rarely covered by insurance. In 2022 I was lucky enough to get a GLP-1 medication covered by insurance and my entire life changed again. I didn’t have to put a timer on between snacks, or fill every minute of every day with an activity to avoid feeling starvation-like hunger. I could go to events where food was present without focusing on food. Despite the benefit I got from this medication, it was only covered by my insurance for 4 months. When I was forced to discontinue it, I felt hopeless. I’d already adapted to daily medications, fatigue struggles, and altered vision, but endless hunger was the one symptom that continued to follow me through every aspect of my life. Just when I had found something that helped me manage it - that tool was taken away. It took me a few months to readjust to the symptoms of AHO that had been managed with that medication. All I had to remember was that not only had I lived with this condition for 6 years, but I’d lived with a brain tumor even before that. While at the time that bump in the road may have felt crushing, it really was just a bump in the road. At the end of 2026 I will celebrate 10 years of being brain tumor free. Those 10 years have been full of struggles, but also full of wonderful moments. I’m now in pharmacy school to help those who are dependent on medication just like me. Through my experiences working in a community pharmacy, I’ve built connections with people in my community who benefit so much from the same drug development miracles that I do. This scholarship will alleviate some of the financial burden that comes from being in a professional program, particularly when it comes to housing, and other expenses required for rotations, and will allow me to focus fully on what I’m learning and who I’m learning for.